4. A crockpot is an underappreciated appliance. Assemble in the morning before work and dinner comes together the moment you walk in the door.

I’ll never forget the first time I asked BL’s mom what his favorite dish is. C’mon ladies, we know the way to a mans heart- make a meal he won’t forget.

Which was exactly my plan shortly after I met Bryan, all of which turned south once I received his favorite requests: tuna noodle casserole and tater-tot hot dish.

Really? Really. Not only did I have to wikipedia ‘hot dish’, I didn’t have the slightest clue on how to make either of those meals. As an Italian girl who loves to spend any free time in the kitchen, I knew instantly we were never going to bond over my love of food. Thank god we have so many other things in common.

Fast forward 5 years and all is right with the world. BL gets giddy when I mention the word lasagna and I try, on occasion, to recreate his favorite midwestern meals.

Try being the operative word. I’ve scrounged a few yard sales for old church cookbooks, the ones packed with Aunt Jo’s famous casserole hot dishes and enough crockpot recipes to satisfy. But, those recipes are harder for me to intuitively grasp. A sauce for pasta? I can improvise to my hearts content. One-pot meals have typically been more of a miss.

However, in trying to open my culinary eyes and please BL’s stomach, I kept trying. Soon, this meal was born. I admit, I kind of loved it. Throwing everything in the crockpot last Sunday morning to enjoy an early afternoon feast on the couch. Have I mentioned how much we relished our lazy weekend?

Subtly sweet, thanks to the addition of pure canadian maple syrup, yet spicy and rich at the same time. The sauce was incredible on these vegan meatballs, but I bet just about any protein would taste great here. Have leftovers? Stuff extra meatballs and peppers into a hoagie roll for a tropical twist on a meatball sub!

I love spicy foods! Especially during the fall/winter because it’s great to warm up to on a cold brisk day.

I’m not a vegan myself, but I do often cook meatless, and especially on Mondays for Meatless Mondays. I’m always on the search for new vegan recipes to try.

I’ve never tried putting maple syrup in meatballs, but maple syrup is definitely delicious, so it should be good in just about anything! I also like the addition of pineapples. I really enjoy cooking with it, but I don’t see many recipes calling for it.

What type of vegan meatballs did you use in this recipe?

DK

Thanks Elle! Me too, I love spicy foods and this recipe is definitely a comfort meal :) I used Trader Joe’s vegan meatballs for this recipe.

http://www.anavocadoaday.blogspot.com Rachael@AnAvocadoADay

Your post cracks me up! My husband grew up in South Carolina eating exclusively southern food. When we first started dating, he didn’t even know what guacamole was. Seriously. Fast foward 8 years and the last meal he cooked for me was a quinoa, black bean and grilled vegetable salad!

DK

Ha! Sounds like a good transition for both of you :) I look back at some of our earlier meals together and just have to laugh! That salad sounds delicious!

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Specializing in plant-based nutrition, sports nutrition & food sensitivities, Alex is available for in-person & telephone consultations. She also works with companies to provide customized nutrition education and recipe development. About.